“As children learning language, we all undergo the same process. At first we experience a level of frustration- we have desires and needs we wish to express, but we lack the words. Slowly we pick up phrases and absorb patterns of speech. We accumulate vocabulary, word by word. Some of this is tedious but we are impelled by our intense curiosity and hunger for knowledge. At a certain point we attain a level of fluency in which we can communicate as fast as we think. Soon we don’t have to think at all- words come naturally, and at times when we are inspired, they flow out of us in ways we cannot be avoided. There are no shortcuts.

Learning language sets the pattern for all human activities- purely intellectual or physical. To master a musical instrument or a game we begin at the lowest level of competence. The game seems boring as we have to learn the rules and play on a simple level. As with learning language, we feel frustrated. We see others play well and we imagine how that could feel, but we are locked in this mode of tedious practice and repetition. At such a point we either give in to our frustration and give up the process, or we proceed, intuiting the power that lies just around the corner. Slowly our ability rises and the frustration lowers. We don’t need to think so much; we are surprised by our fluency and connections that come to us in a flash.

Once we reach a certain level of mastery, we see there are higher levels and challenges. If we are disciplined and patient, we proceed. At each higher level, new pleasures and insights await us- ones not even suspected when we started out. We can take this as far as we want- in any human activity there is always a higher level to which we can aspire.” -From, “The 50th Law” By: 50 Cent & Robert Greene

Love, Speed & Accuracy,

Elsie Villega